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Roar’s A-League hunger questioned

Sam Lienert

Brisbane Roar coach Rado Vidosic has questioned whether his players are as hungry for more A-League success as he is after a thrashing from Melbourne Heart sent them into bottom spot.

The back-to-back A-League champions were thumped 4-1 at AAMI Park on Friday night in a performance which prompted skipper Matt Smith to publicly apologise.

Vidosic calling the Roar’s efforts ‘‘garbage’’, saying it looked like players didn’t want to be there.

‘‘There was no heart in our play,’’ he told reporters.

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‘‘It was just the game that individuals didn’t want to play in, didn’t want to perform.‘‘It was probably the worst performance we’ve seen from this lot in two-and-a-half years.’’

It was the Roar’s third straight loss, leaving them with just four points from six games under Vidosic.

But the coach, who took over after Ange Postecoglou left to join Melbourne Victory within days of last season’s championship, was not taking the blame.

‘‘I’m not questioning my ability because I’ve been at the club for seven years and I’ve been part of the last few years of our success, the same as the players,’’ Vidosic said.

‘‘I’m hungry, I want to achieve even more. Can they match my hunger?’’

Vidosic said if motivation was ever a problem, four defeats in six matches ought to be enough of a spur.

He said the players were getting the same support and training that had made them the competition’s powerhouse in the past two seasons yet at times were struggling to even string basic passes together.

‘‘This year it looks like it’s just not happening for whatever reason,’’ Vidosic said.

‘‘We are working exactly the same as we worked in the past.

‘‘They are getting exactly the same information, the training sessions are exactly the same, everything is exactly the same apart from performances.’’